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Fitness expert Daniel gives Workington outdoor gym the thumbs-up

Last updated at 20:31, Thursday, 20 October 2011

A former contestant of TV game show Gladiators has praised Workington’s new outdoor gym.

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Daniel Sowerby, 33, of Main Street, Dearham, was the first person to use the £30,000 Vulcan Park facility, paid for by a £27,000 grant from the Fields in Trust charity and £3,000 from Allerdale council.

Daniel, a keen downhill mountain biker and gym enthusiast, has played rugby league for Workington Town, Whitehaven and Seaton.

He said: “We are now in the midst of a national and local economic downturn and, considering that obesity is at an all-time high, I would say the gym is a great concept.

“We just need to get the people to use it.

“It’s going to be like Workington’s answer to Venice Beach in California.

“It’s usable for athletes and beginners. It’s not as good quality as the equipment you would find in a gymnasium and I won’t be cancelling my membership, but it’s free and I certainly think the positives outweigh the negatives.”

Daniel attracted a gaggle of female admirers, who gathered at the perimeter fence to watch him work out.

Despite the distractions, he continued with his review, praising the equipment’s lime-green colour scheme.

“I think it looks fresh and modern. I’m surprised by how good it looks.”

The equipment, designed and built by Park Leisure, includes exercise bikes, cross trainers, a chest press, a leg press, stretching bars and tai chi discs.

Residents were asked what equipment they wanted in the gym in April and voted for their favourite design in July.

The cash was made available as part of a national campaign aimed at encouraging adults to exercise and the terms of the grant meant that the money could only be spent on building an outdoor gym.

Daniel’s views on the gym: Positive: It’s free, nice smooth movements on equipment, fresh and modern look, robust, range of exercise types to suit athletes and average members of the public, different equipment size to cater for different heights and builds, and a good mix of cardiovascular and resistance machines.

Negative: No formal gym induction or supervisor, not enough sponge treads to prevent ground becoming muddy, potential target for vandals, and footprints over the metalwork indicate it is already being used as a climbing frame.

l The outdoor gym is expected to be open to the public within two weeks.

Have your say

if we all had the attitude of the anon comment on the 21st, we'd never get anything nice. I think it's a great forward thinking idea and we should applaud the council for this, not moan. No reason if it isn't maintained it can't be well used.

Posted by iain on
27 October 2011 at 12:04

That's the attitude ! Lets talk the Town up for a change and try and make things a bit better for the people that live here.